Laissez les bon temps rouler!

I have the two coolest, most wonderful librarians working my neighborhood branch.
Not only do they help direct me to some really amazing, obscure films and music...not only do they like to hang out and talk...and they're both great musicians...

Today they beaded me for Mardi Gras with a strand of jaw breaker-sized purple beads hefty enough to use as a defensive weapon. Just for stopping by to pick up the copy of Network I had on hold. I mean, how many of you have Mardi Gras-celebrating librarians?

Alas, no gumbo party this year to match the one I threw while living in Istanbul.
Peace/سلام

Beware the Snowpocalypse!

Three weeks until I depart Tejas for Egypt and Turkey. Luckily, I'll have my passport in case Texas secedes from the U.S. whilst I'm gone. There's a lot of work to be cranked out between now and then. I am in need of some fun and frivolity. Other than Hawaii, we seem to be the only part of the U.S. not buried in snow at the moment. Given this photo, we should be thankful.
To my friends and family shoveling out: beware the snow Daleks, people!
Peace/سلام

Really, Pat? Part deux

So, Pat, tell me again who made a pact with the devil?
Peace/سلام

Too much input

In the last 48 hours I've read over 600 pages in coursework. That's not meant as a boast but rather a warning that if you never hear from me again, I've likely read myself into a coma via an aneurysm.

It's fair to say I like a challenge, but more accurate to say I need a challenge. That's true in every facet of my life. I need to rumble. Not saying it's healthy, mind you, just that it's one of the things about myself I've come to understand. If something, somebody, isn't challenging, why bother. Boredom unleashes my Hulk. You won't like me when I'm bored.

This leads me to do things like sign up for five graduate classes, when I'm only required to be in three. On top of a 20-hour a week internship (luckily no teaching assistant position this semester). And then to schedule a three week trip to Egypt and Turkey in the middle of the semester. Why not? Oh, and I've taken up boxing of late, which I've found...soothing.

At the moment, in preparation for my departure, I am cramming about two to three months work for my five classes in to the next four weeks. My goal is to be wheels up with only my Development Economics exam serving as in-flight entertainment on the way to Egypt.

Yes, I did finally connect with E., a member of the Helwan Social Work faculty who worked with our department on an exchange before my time. I'll be attending the 23rd Helwan Social Work Conference and staying in Egypt for nearly two weeks. My department is graciously and generously supporting my trip, believing as I do that it fits well into their desire to internationalize the program. I may have my frustrations with the profession, but my department has always supported me and that's not just blowing smoke. E. has graciously offered to host me in her home, which I am thrilled about. My hope while in Egypt is to sort out some organizations that might be willing to have me intern/volunteer over the summer in some facet of development. With no classes to take at the uni, I would rather spend my time developing professional experience and continuing to work on my Arabic. And Austin just wasn't really quite oppressively hot enough for me last summer. From Cairo I'm stopping in Istanbul for a week on the way home to see old friends and try to connect with the NGO and development sector there, too.

For now, I am nose-to-books/laptop screen, sustained by my joy at returning to my favorite part of the world and finally making it to Egypt.
Uff ya! Back to work....
Peace/سلام

Rejoice in the Post-Burns Night Good News

The Chieftan of the pudding race, which I happen to enjoy, is legal once more in the U.S.
I'd absolutely no idea it was ever illegal, though I know plenty who think it's gross (Philistines!).
Of course, you could always make it yourself.
Peace/سلام

RIGAUD brothers FOUND SAFE

UPDATE (Sunday):
JUST received excellent news that ALL FIVE BROTHERS ALIVE & SAFE in P-a-P!

Trying to help spread the word for a friend, who is looking for her five little brothers in Port-au-Prince.
Their last name is RIGAUD
Their address is 198 Rue St. Hubert, Turjeau, P-a-P
If anybody happens to read this and have any information, anything, just post a comment and I can get word to her immediately.

Please give to the efforts in Haiti, but beware of hucksters. You can find reputable organizations via Charity Navigator.
Peace/سلام

Really, Pat? REALLY?

While everybody else is struggling to help those in Haiti, Pat Robertson offered THIS explanation for the nation's continued struggles and a condemnation of Haitians. Kudos to the woman beside him, by the way, who said absolutely nothing in response to his racist, crazy story.

So, let's tally: 9/11 was the fault of feminists, gays, and the ACLU, the 2005 tsunami wasn't really a tragedy because it killed Muslims, the Gulf Coast would have been spared if not, again, for those pesky gays (God apparently really hates a Pride parade), and now those devil-worshiping Haitians caused their own 200-plus years of suffering from poverty, dictatorship, unrest, environmental degradation, and now a massive earthquake.
Disgusting.

Having grown up in S. Florida, all news from the Caribbean basin is local. I was relieved to hear that one friend's family on the island is reported safe. My thoughts have been with Haitians and others there, including the apparently hard-hit MINUSTAH and other U.N. staff. No one deserves a disaster like this, but few places are more ill-equipped to handle this.
Peace/سلام

Update: Not to be outdone by Pat, the every-classy Rush has now cannonballed into the "Worst Person in the World" contest: “We've already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax.”

And two more things...

About to walk out the door, but wanted to share these two pieces:

Liberty Clinic is back (Guardian)
This is such a great idea. Anybody know if an American paper has a similar feature?

The Americanization of Mental Illness (NYTimes Magazine)
Replace 'mental illness' with 'social work'. This is part of the discussion of indigenization/universalism debate in social work. Worth a read.
'Ta.
Peace/سلام

Back to Work

I start back at my internship with the local public agency tomorrow morning. This break wasn't as productive as I'd hoped and I'm happy to get back to work. Classes begin the following week. Not starting out with as much spunk as I'd hoped and that worries me.

My goals for this semester are to throw myself into the macro/meso-end of things. For our macro project, I'm developing a project to redesign our center's waiting room to make it humane, welcoming and user-friendly. The plan is for a mural project, more information accessible to walk-ins (not locked behind the counter), and overall simply a space that feels less like the waiting room at county lockup. The fact that people camp out at the door from as early as 1am never ceases to bother me; I think about it perhaps too much. I'll also be studying up on the budget - Aren't I a girl who knows a good time? - and attending some of the council meetings to see how things are actually accomplished within the agency. I'll also be making a bother of myself with the planning department to see how/if they actually work with neighborhoods. How does community development happen in this town? I also have to organize and implement a group project. No idea what it will be at the moment other than it will not be a therapy group. My God, aside from lacking any training, there's no way anyone in, well their right mind, would let me help them heal. Other than a training group, nobody has really given me much of a clue on other possibilities, so I've no idea what will come of the assignment.

While I still have to hit certain direct practice markers for the department and the CSWE, I am trying to find ways to make it my own. Since the people who come to the us seeking help really don't know what a social worker can do for them in the context of our agency any more than I do, I put forth the idea that I make like Lucy and set up shop amongst the people. For set times I'll just sit with everybody in the waiting room and talk to anybody who would like to talk. Some of the people seeking help are only waiting to get a letter stating they cannot receive help from our agency so they can take that letter to another agency to receive their help. No sense in those folks waiting all day for that. And no sense in some people waiting for weeks for an appointment with me. I just think it will feel a little more community oriented and less clinical. At least I hope so.

While this position has been interesting in many ways, it has certainly taught me that I am a field person, not an office person. Confinement, fluorescents and grey-beige walls kill the soul, at least mine. I also miss being so removed from people's lives. It may get a bit trying when everybody in the village is in your business, but there are few better things than sitting with the council, taking tea with the women, being invited to a wedding, roughhousing with kids or helping bring in the alfalfa crop. Still hope to get back to that.

We'll see what the next few months bring...
Peace/سلام

I'm an idjit.

Uff ya! Finally, somebody left a comment on my wee blog and....I somehow deleted it.
And it was a positive comment!
To that anonymous soul I say, "Sorry."
Peace/سلام

Swift, Aliens, Poverty & Elvis

Book learnin' of the moment: The Satirical Essays of Jonathan Swift
Recently watched: Avatar (or, as many have noted, Dances with Aliens/Smurfs). My reaction, "Meh." Did love all the marine life they they referenced in the visuals though. And, love this.

Some articles of note (at least for me):
Which Poverty-Fighting Policies Work? J-PAL Has the Answer (from FastCompany)

What Makes a Nation Rich? One Economists Big Answer (from Esquire)

Happy birthday, Elvis, wherever you are. Uh huh uh.
Peace/سلام

Obligatory Post Acknowledging Change of Gregorian Calendar Year

Well, Om-Taromeet left at the ungodly time of 4:30 this fine, first morning to return to the sunny lands of gators, geezers and graft. We had a nice visit, during which she anointed the little town of Fredericksburg as her (maybe) part-time (she claims to have some sort of plan), post-retirement & unloading of condo, landing site of the moment. Given that I am an unintentional but life-long ignorer of NYE festivities (and having to take her to the airport at said ungodly hour), we simply made dinner and hunkered down to watch the first two installments of The Thin Man marathon on TMC last night. Yeah, wild night, but an evening with Nick Charles is better than most dates I've had in recent memory...or extended memory for that matter. As usual, I was out by 11:30. Look, either time rolls on into another year or I'd rather not be awake to see what the problem is. My actual ideal, only realized once or twice, is solo camping somewhere remote and RV-less: kayaking out to a chiki in Florida Bay, packing out into the mountains or the Sonoran Desert. Lying in bed I did finally realize that this was a rather eventful decade for me personally. Happy to put it to bed as well and move on, though.

Anyway, there's no real point to the post today other than to get me started on a new year. I've been a bit of a slug today, bundled up and nibbling away at several books. I went on a bit of a tear at the library recently. No resolutions; I just make plans, lots of plans, as usual. And, I stubbornly cling to hope. Om-Taromeet said she read that whatever you eat to start off Jan. 1 somehow represents how your year will go, or something like that, not that I put any faith whatsoever in such things. This morning I had chicory coffee, plain yogurt with fresh blackberries and a touch of honey, and a piece of baguette with butter and the fabulous orange marmalade handmade by my housemate's grandpa. No idea what that means for my 2010, but it was a fine meal.
Sincere wishes for a 2010 that finds all of you in a good place, or at least a better place.
Peace/سلام

Extra Credit: Try to watch the doc Patti Smith:Dream of Life, which aired here on PBS the other night. I very much enjoyed it, but then I love Patti. However, even Om-Taromeet, who had absolutely no idea who Patti is, said she really enjoyed the film, too.

Bloody Ashura

My thoughts are with friends in Tehran at word of ten killed as government forces used live ammunition on protesters Sunday and arrested opposition leaders and scores of others. Here's coverage from Juan Cole and the L.A. Times.
Peace/سلام

ما همه مجید توکلی هستیم We are all Majid Tavakoli

While the major news from Iran this week was the death of opposition cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montezeri, another story almost got by me. What's with all the men in hijab? Here's an explanation from the L.A. Times. It's pretty awesome.
Peace/سلام

Copenhagen - FAIL

Even before this thing started, I sort of knew this is where it would lead. It's still very disappointing. Some called it a "sound beginning". A little late for beginnings, no? Getting two people to agree on pizza toppings causes enough hand wringing (nobody else likes anchovies?). Getting nearly 200 countries to agree on the future of the planet...? Basically, we have a document agreeing that there's a problem and there's a line we shouldn't cross related to said problem, but we'll all have to trust each other with how each of us keeps from crossing that line.
Copenhagen closes with weak deal that poor threaten to reject (The Guardian)

Highlights of the climate accord (NYTimes)

The grim meaning of 'meaningful' (The Guardian)

Climate activists declare Copenhagen a disaster (AFP via Grist)

Climate scientists underwhelmed by Copenhagen accord (AFP)
"From the evidence of the last two weeks, I would say we have a heck of a long way still to go if, as a species, we are to avoid the fate that usually afflicts populations that outgrow their resources," said Prof. Andrew Watson, East Anglia University
Peace/سلام